Form Hell
I love doing the medical roleplay work. Sometimes I love it so much I find myself thinking hey, I'd do this for free if I didn't need the money.
And recently I've been running the risk of actually doing it for free. Because in order to get paid, I have to fill in a form.
And because I work for several different companies, universities and departments of universities, I have to fill in lots of forms.
But because I've been so busy, I just haven't got round to the tedious job of filling in all the forms.
Until this afternoon, when I just thought okay, woman, get on with it. Really, there are only so many times you can bear to fill in your bank details and National Insurance number and date of birth and tell them that you're white and female and able-bodied.
This afternoon I did it on eight different forms. And all the companies pay different mileage rates (and they're all too low!) I work for two departments of the same university - how come one lot pay a stingy 34p per mile and the other lot only a measly pittance of 23p? And one lot have changed so they now pay a maximum of 70 miles travel - - - even though I live 65 miles away, which comes to a total of 130 miles, does it not? - - Perhaps I won't be working for them again.
Then in the coming weeks I will have to examine my bank statement with incredible diligence (always depressing) to find out if they have actually paid me. And the payments - when they arrive - are always from some group of initials or name which is near-impossible to marry up with the actual job done.
And then there will be the ones that don't arrive, and I'll have to chase those up. Now I'm quite good at that kind of thing in my actual job - - but when it comes to chasing my own payments I'm really bad at it, I put it in my mental "I'll do that tomorrow" file.
When someone tells me, on the subject of an invoice for one of our actors, that it's been "sent to Finance" and disappeared, that's like a red rag to a bull for me - - I'm on to Kevin in Finance like a shot and will give him hell until he coughs up.
When, however, it's just for me, I just heave a big sigh and think oh, well, yes, I must chase it sometime, and then I go away and do something else.
But at least I've filled in the forms. It's a start.
And recently I've been running the risk of actually doing it for free. Because in order to get paid, I have to fill in a form.
And because I work for several different companies, universities and departments of universities, I have to fill in lots of forms.
But because I've been so busy, I just haven't got round to the tedious job of filling in all the forms.
Until this afternoon, when I just thought okay, woman, get on with it. Really, there are only so many times you can bear to fill in your bank details and National Insurance number and date of birth and tell them that you're white and female and able-bodied.
This afternoon I did it on eight different forms. And all the companies pay different mileage rates (and they're all too low!) I work for two departments of the same university - how come one lot pay a stingy 34p per mile and the other lot only a measly pittance of 23p? And one lot have changed so they now pay a maximum of 70 miles travel - - - even though I live 65 miles away, which comes to a total of 130 miles, does it not? - - Perhaps I won't be working for them again.
Then in the coming weeks I will have to examine my bank statement with incredible diligence (always depressing) to find out if they have actually paid me. And the payments - when they arrive - are always from some group of initials or name which is near-impossible to marry up with the actual job done.
And then there will be the ones that don't arrive, and I'll have to chase those up. Now I'm quite good at that kind of thing in my actual job - - but when it comes to chasing my own payments I'm really bad at it, I put it in my mental "I'll do that tomorrow" file.
When someone tells me, on the subject of an invoice for one of our actors, that it's been "sent to Finance" and disappeared, that's like a red rag to a bull for me - - I'm on to Kevin in Finance like a shot and will give him hell until he coughs up.
When, however, it's just for me, I just heave a big sigh and think oh, well, yes, I must chase it sometime, and then I go away and do something else.
But at least I've filled in the forms. It's a start.
posted by Daphne at 6:13 pm
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